Baseball mask



,Nov. 5, 1935. T. s. SHIBE BASEBALL MASK Filed June 6. 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 T.S.SHIBE 2,020,29.

BASEBALL MASK Filed June 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Th as $.Shzie,

Patented Nov. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A. G. Spalding & Bros, corporation of New Jersey New York, N. Y., a

Application June 6, 1934, Serial No. 729,298

5 Claims.

One object of the invention is to provide a ca-tchers mask made of a metal base plate with separately formed metal guard bars extending across the opening in said plate, all of said parts being formed by rolling, as distinguished from casting, or as distinguished from a wire fabricated structure, whereby a strong construction resistant to the heavy blows from the base ball is provided and economy in manufacture of the complete article is secured.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front View of the mask.

Fig. 2 is a side View.

Fig. 3 is a top View.

Fig. 4 is a sectional .plan view of one of the guard bars.

Figs. 5 and 6 are views of the foundation plate.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the end portion of one of the guard bars.

Fig. 8 is a detail view illustrating the end face of one of the guard bars and the rivet connection between the end of the bar and the foundation plate.

In these drawings I represents the foundation plate made of sheet metal preferably of duralumin, to secure lightness and strength. .This sheet metal is produced by rolling.

It is cut out in the form shown, having an opening at its central portion for visibility and ventilation.

This plate is formed by suitable dies of the desired shape and it is also bent to a general concavo convex form in cross section so as to receive the head of the user and afford protection to the chin, forehead and sides of the head. It is provided with a pair of guard bars 2 extending across the'central opening and spaced apart a sufiicient distance to afford a clear and unobstructed outlook. These bars are formed of duralumin. They are tubular, of circular form in cross section and are arched in the direction of their length or from side to side of the foundation or body plate. At their ends they are cut away on their inner sides to provide substantially fiat bearing portions or edges 3 to rest on the front surface of the foundation plate. These cut away end portions also provide shoulders 4 to rest on the inner edges of the sides of the foundation plate or frame.

These shoulders 4 and edge abutments 4a take the stresses consequent upon the violent impact of the base ball upon the arched guard bars. These bars are of substantial thickness in their Walls at 5 and being of tubular form of considerable diameter, they offer resistance tostrains due to impact of the balls. While, therefore, they are substantially rigid any tendency for them to give slightly under the heavy blows of the ball will be absorbed by their shoulders bear- 5 ing upon the abutments provided by the edge of the foundation plate against which the said shoulders bear. Therefore the rivets or other fastening means 6 which secure the reduced ends of the guard bars to the foundation plate will 10 be relieved of shearing stresses due to the impact of the balls against the arched bars. The cut away ends of the guard bars are machined so as to get a firm and close bearing upon the face of the foundation plate, throughout the length of 15 the cut away portion. The guard bars being formed by rolling have a circular cross sectional shape and hence present a rounded surface against which the -ball will strike and as the bars are of material diameter these rounded surfaces 20 are of considerable extent and are well adapted to prevent damage to the ball.

It is preferred that a pair of rivets 6 or the like be employed at each end of the arched guard bar. The padding 1 is attached to the foundation 25 plate by the leather tabs and lacing as indicated at 8.

The tubular guard bars are of such diameter as will afford ample width of ends for obtaining sufiicient bearing upon the metal foundation plate and for receiving the rivets or other forms of fastening devices without enlarging these ends beyond the width of the bars, it not being necessary to widen these ends, for instance, by welding foot portions thereupon. It is only necessary to cut the proper lengths from a bar and form these lengths into the guard bars such as shown detached in Fig. 4 by cutting their end portions to provide the bearing surfaces and 40 shoulders and bending the lengths into lengthwise arched shape.

The operations to be performed are thus reduced to a minimum. Also because the bars are formed of rolled metal tubing of considerable diameter and present considerable width of hearing surfaces in contact with the foundation plate they need no extra bracing, but alone will maintain their positions on the foundation plate despite the severe blows to which they are at times 50 subjected by the pitched balls.

It will be observed that the reduced ends of the tubular guard bar present an arched formation in cross section and the rivet passes through this arch end portion. It will be seen that the guard 55 bars are of arched shape from end to end and that in cross section they present wall portions which curve from a normal line of contact with the ball, extending lengthwise of the bar, rearwardly both above and below said normal line of contact.

I claim:

1. A catchers mask comprising a foundation plate having an opening therein, a tubular guard bar extending across said opening, and means for attaching the bar to said plate, said bar having its end portion reduced and having fiat bearing surfaces or edges resting on the face of the foundation plate and having also shoulders bearing against the edges of the foundation plate.

2. A catchers mask comprising a foundation plate having an opening therein, a tubular guard bar extending across said opening, and means for attaching the bar to said plate, said bar having its end portion reduced and having flat bearing surfaces or edges resting on the face of the foundation plate and having also shoulders bearing against the edges of the foundation plate, said attaching means passing through the transversely arched reduced ends of the bar.

prises cut away portions thereof at the rear side providing edges of a transverse arch bearing m the base plate. 5. A catchers mask comprising a base plate having an opening therein and a guard bar extending in arched form across said opening, said guard bar being substantially rigid and having its wall in cross section curving rearwardly from and above and below a normal line of contact of the ball, along its front face, the ends of said bar being reduced and thereby presenting shoulders to bear on the edges of the base plate, and means securing said reduced ends to the base plate.

THOMAS S. SHIBE. 

